Endurance Introspection
"To Finish Is To Win"About the Site
Authored by Patti Carey (formerly Patti Stedman), Endurance Introspection is a website for endurance riders, aspiring endurance riders and other sport horse enthusiasts interested in the cross-training aspect of endurance conditioning and training for horses. Patti’s vision for the website is to provide a place for endurance riding enthusiasts interested in the philosophies, training, conditioning strategies and life lessons learned during the act of enduring.
Patti is an AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) endurance competitor/Ride Manager/former BoD member who truly embraces the sport’s motto of “To Finish Is To Win”.
About Patti
Patti was raised in rural Western New York. She started riding at the age of seven and eventually showing in various disciplines, until she discovered dressage (the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance.) in her late teens. She attended Cornell University and received her BS in Animal Science.
While she taught and trained professionally for a few years, it became apparent that a career outside of horses allowed more financial security (and that wackily practical health insurance), so her love of teaching took her in the direction of occupational safety and environmental compliance. She owns two successful businesses, one providing live training and consulting, and the other providing web-based safety training.
Patti began to compete in endurance rides in the mid 1990s. A couple of decades and a few thousand miles of competition later, she has acted as a Ride Manager for the Allegany Shut Up and Ride and was formerly a member of the AERC Board of Directors, Ride Managers’ Committee, and Education Committee. She developed materials for and insurance coverage for AERC Endurance 101 Clinics and has taught dozens of clinics, and encourages others to do the same to give riders new to our sport the skills needed to succeed and a sense of community with other local endurance riders and mentors.
Her passion for sharing her sport led her to creating a web-based course for new and aspiring endurance riders, Endurance Essentials, which can be found at horselearningonline.com
Patti loves combining the disciplines of endurance and dressage, and observing and writing about the inside world of endurance riding competition. Patti currently lives in rural South Carolina, with her horses, dogs, cats and various vermin.
Header photo by Carien Schippers @imagequine
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Photo by Becky Pearman, Fort Valley, 2013
Our Horses
We love and respect our horses [highlight align="center" style="different"]Our horses are our partners, and our friends. They prove over and over again that they are the best teachers -- and why not? No one knows more about being a horse than, well, a horse. Each...
Home
Welcome to Endurance Introspection a website for new, old, aspiring and contemplative endurance riders [column size="1/2" margin="" last="no"] [blockquote image=""] en·dur·ance noun: endurance The fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or...
Home
Welcome to Endurance Introspection a website for new, old, aspiring and contemplative endurance riders [column size="1/2" margin="" last="no"] [blockquote image=""] en·dur·ance noun: endurance The fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or...
Casting A Bigger Net
Published in Endurance News, April 2013 If you’ve been paying attention at all in the last year, or occasionally emerge from your basement to check in with the goings-on in AERC, you know that we have been working on ways to attract new members and keep them. There...
Ahhhh, dressage! (4/21/07)
Life is good. Not a cloud in the sky and Dorothy came out to our place for the first time in a LOOOONG time. She was stunned about what an old plug Ace is at our place. At least on the ground. Had an excellent lesson with Dorothy reminding me of the place and the feel...
100s for the Rest of Us
Some time ago, one of my favorite vets took me aside and gave me a little chiding: "Why no more articles about 100s? I see you've been doing more of them." "Well, Doc, you know, not everyone wants to hear from me. I think I had a little overexposure with the article...
What Ride Managers Hate To Hear On Ride Day
Published in Endurance News, June 2007 RIDE MANAGERS' COLUMN "Well, there's not too much blood . . ." "And then the herd galloped onto the interstate . . ." "But when they crossed the state line, they were fairly sure they were off trail." "Um, aren't the...
What Ride Managers Hate To Hear On Ride Day
Published in Endurance News, June 2007 RIDE MANAGERS' FORUM What ride managers hate to hear on ride day By Patti Stedman "Well, there's not too much blood . . ." "And then the herd galloped onto the interstate . . ." "But when they crossed the state...
Endurance and The Fine Art of Rest
Published in Endurance News, March 2007 Most distance riders spend a significant chunk of time and energy thinking about our conditioning schedule. In fact, some of us chart it, map it, and scrutinize it. Speed, distance, terrain, heart rates, reverse splits – many of...
Gator Run/2007 (1/04/07)
Gator Run I 55 Miles 1/4/07 We made it. It got pea-soup oppressive overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. I mean icky. It was 69 degrees as we tacked up and foggy and miserable at the 7:30 a.m. start. The first loop was 17.5 miles and we started out after the pack of...
Gator Run III (1/08/07)
In retrospect with the truck breaking down and all, Saturday’s 50 was the most wonderful, peaceful day of my whole trip. I told Mary I’d take Ned out on my own since she’d found a nice partner to ride with (Sue from SE) and I didn’t want to screw up the pair by being...